On Sept. 7, the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council鈥檚 final rule on the Use of Project Labor Agreements for Federal Construction Projects, which would mandate anti-competitive and inflationary project labor agreements on large-scale federal construction contracts, arrived at the Office of Management and Budget鈥檚 Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs for review. This is the final step before the rule will be published in the Federal Register and take effect.

老牛影视has prepared a summary of Biden administration regulatory actions of interest to 老牛影视members by agency.

On Aug. 30, the U.S. Department of Labor announced a new proposed rulemaking听that would alter overtime regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The proposal increases the minimum salary level threshold to $55,068 annually for a full-year worker听and automatically updates the threshold every three years.

Despite being litigated for years, the Biden administration鈥檚 National Labor Relations Board has revived controversial policy from the Obama era in the form of its听Representation-Case Procedures final rule. The听direct final rule, issued without notice and the opportunity to comment,听essentially restores provisions of the听鈥渁mbush鈥� election rule of 2014听and rescinds the remaining ABC-supported provisions of the听2019 final rule. The rule will apply to representation petitions filed on or after Dec. 26, 2023, and employers will have less time to respond to representation petitions.

On Aug. 29, the U.S. Treasury Department鈥檚 Internal Revenue Service released a听proposed rule听and FAQs on provisions of the ABC-opposed听Inflation Reduction Act, which will affect the developers, contractors and workers that are building clean energy projects eligible for more than $270 billion in federal tax credits.

On Aug. 29, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers issued a final rule and fact sheet regarding amendments to the definition of 鈥渨aters of the United States鈥� subject to Clean Water Act regulation. This rule is aimed at bringing the January 2023 WOTUS final rule into compliance with the U.S. Supreme Court鈥檚 May 25 decision in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency.

Associated Builders and Contractors today announced its opposition to the U.S. Department of Labor鈥檚 Occupational Safety and Health Administration announcement of听a proposed rule,听Worker Walkaround Representative Designation Process. The proposed rule would allow an employee to choose a third-party representative, such as an outside union representative, to accompany an OSHA inspector into nonunion facilities.

On Aug. 25, 2023, the听National Labor Relations Board issued its decision in听Cemex Construction Materials Pacific, LLC, which imposes a new framework that greatly expands the Board鈥檚 ability to impose unions on employees without a secret ballot election. The Board鈥檚 decision overrules precedent that has stood for over half a century.

Despite being litigated for years, the Biden administration鈥檚 National Labor Relations Board has revived controversial policy from the Obama era in the form of its Representation-Case Procedures final rule. The direct final rule, issued without notice and the opportunity to comment,听essentially restores provisions of the 鈥渁mbush鈥� election rule of 2014 and rescinds the remaining ABC-supported provisions of the 2019 final rule. The rule will apply to representation petitions filed on or after Dec. 26, 2023.

On Aug. 23, the U.S. Department of Labor officially published its final rule, Updating the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Regulations, in the Federal Register. The regulation鈥檚 drastic revisions to existing rules regarding government-determined prevailing wage rates that must be paid to construction workers on federal and federally assisted construction projects funded by taxpayers will now take effect on Oct. 23.